Chuckle

My son texted me the accompanying photo with this message: "And you say it's impossible to own a home here." I had to laugh, disgusted as I was.

The "affordable" housing advertised is a studio apartment. Which is a prime example of why San Francisco is now a city for the very rich, the working poor, and the homeless.

It was not always so.

Once in a while

...you can get shown the light.

Older daughter caught this beauty from her apartment in the city.

That Kim Jong Un is some kidder. Do they recognize All Fools Day in North Korea? At least we will have a good seat for the big show.

The Merrie Monarch Festival is happening in Hilo this week. This year marks the 50th anniversary, but we can't go.. Luckily for us, it is all broadcast live. http://www.merriemonarch.com/

We celebrated Easter Sunday by eating tasty black bean burritos and watching The Hangover 2. I love to laugh. It's a requirement I take seriously!

By George

"I'm an outsider by choice, but not truly. It's the unpleasantness of the system that keeps me out. I'd rather be in, in a good system. That's where my discontent comes from: being forced to choose to stay outside.
My advice: Just keep movin' straight ahead. Every now and then you find yourself in a different place"

Finally reading this gem. Gave it to my son as a gift when it first came out... Some of my readers may or may not recall that I saw Carlin's last gig with the man. That was in Santa Rosa, California on March 1, 2008. It was taped for HBO, and we jumped at the chance see one of our heroes. Three months later, George was gone. His wit and his wisdom live on!

Only in Mendocino County

December 2012~Leggett, California

The Great Outdoors

Saw this in a nearby home we checked out today. Great place, and this made it even greater!

Ramblin'

Aquatic Park, San Francisco

Back in a flash. Hey, What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? The pitbull can be neutered. (Credit/Dave Letterman)

I Can't Quit You, Baby

Death Don't Have No Mercy

Nope. It don't. This one hurts. He felt like one of us. And there aren't many that do, anymore.

I am so thankful to have caught him in Santa Rosa last March. Lucky break. Those seven words don't scare me! In fact, I have recited them a couple of times today. He was the last one left. Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Bill Hicks. Now Carlin. Who's left? That doesn't cow-tow or back down when their ass is on the line. Those days are long gone.

What else to say? That he was a brave and brilliant soul who dared to think and (gasp!) make us think. I was on my way to bed last night when I heard the news, and hastily put up a photo and the first song that came to mind. Now that I've had the day to absorb the loss, it felt only right to attempt to express the great love and respect I feel. I mean, he did make me laugh for the last 40 years or so. It's the least I can do. And remember folks, It's all bullshit and it's bad for ya!

It Started Out Innocently...

Received the following forwarded message today. Usually, I delete them. Not this one.


It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now and

Then -- just to loosen up.

Inevitably, though, one thought led to another, and soon I was more than

Just a social thinker.

I began to think alone -- "to relax," I told myself -- but I knew it

Wasn't true. Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally

I was thinking all the time.

That was when things began to sour at home. One evening I turned off

The TV and asked my wife about the meaning of life. She spent that night

At her mother's.

I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and employment don't

Mix,

But I couldn't help myself.

I began to avoid friends at lunchtime so I could read Thoreau, Muir

Confucius and Kafka. I would return to the office dizzied and

Confused,asking, "What is it exactly we are doing here?"

One day the boss called me in. He said, "Listen, I like you, and it

Hurts me to say this, but your thinking has become a real problem. If

You don't stop thinking on the job, you'll have to find another job."

This gave me a lot to think about. I came home early after my

Conversation with the boss. "Honey," I confessed, "I've been

Thinking..."

"I know you've been thinking," she said, "and I want a divorce!" "But

Honey, surely it's not that serious." "It is serious," she said, lower

Lip aquiver.

"You think as much as college professors and college professors don't

Make any money, so if you keep on thinking, we won't have any money!"

"That's a faulty syllogism," I said impatiently.

She exploded in tears of rage and frustration, but I was in no mood to

Deal with the emotional drama

"I'm going to the library," I snarled as I stomped out the door. I

Headed for the library, in the mood for some Nietzsche. I roared into

The parking lot with NPR on the radio and ran up to the big glass doors.

They didn't open. The library was closed.

To this day, I believe that a Higher Power was looking out for me that

Night. Leaning on the unfeeling glass, whimpering for Zarathustra, a

Poster caught my eye, "Friend, is heavy thinking ruining your life?" it

Asked.

You probably recognize that line. It comes from the standard Thinkers

Anonymous poster.

This is why I am what I am today: a recovering thinker.

I never miss a TA meeting. At each meeting we watch a non- educational

Video; last week it was "Porky's." Then we share experiences about how

We avoided thinking since the last meeting.

I still have my job, and things are a lot better at home. Life just

Seemed easier, somehow, as soon as I stopped thinking. I think the road

To recovery is nearly complete for me.

Today I took the final step...I joined the Republican Party.


Funny. Also frightening.

Newsflash

God Hates Shrimp

After my favorite aunt died in 2006, we all attended her memorial. A very long, beautiful day. I met someone that day who had known my aunt for a couple of decades. Adored her. He was interesting, intelligent, and fun to talk politics with. We decided that day to attempt to stay in touch, in honor of our departed loved one.

So, we send occasional emails back and forth. Sometimes he sends funny things. The link beneath the photo is something he sent me today. I laughed. I cried. I shared it here.